Sylvie

Sylvie’s full-length debut, “I wish I was driving” is decent. It’s slightly above mediocre, but quite a bit below excellent. Reading the press release from Does Everyone Stare? Records leads you to believe you’re in for an amazing treat. There are comparisons to Jawbox, Fugazi and Tool, sanctimonious praises for a band that unfortunately, can’t live up to the hype. The cover art is simple, a crumpled photograph of a couch centered in white. It’s a soothing image that draws people in; you want to like this CD.

Unfortunately, the more times this disc goes through the stereo, the less enjoyment there is to it. What starts off sounding beautiful and slightly haunting ends up sounding drawn out and uninteresting. The singers voice sounds slightly like Maynard from Tool, but not enough to liken one to the other. The melodies build nicely, and the vocals are mixed well, but it’s just lacking.

Albums can be equated to different weather conditions. Some of them may resemble warm sunny days, while others are blustery winter nights. “I wish I was driving” is a weak spring storm. The kind that comes right after winter ends, slow and quiet, trying to make a smooth transition. It doesn’t interrupt sleep patterns at night; instead, it calls the listener back to sleep, beckoning one to relax and not move. There aren’t any earth-shaking bolts of thunder, no flashes of light. It’s neither here nor there. When this CD attempts to be loud, it fails. The loudest moments are temporary gusts of wind pelting raindrops against the window.